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Wednesday, April 28, 2010

The best of dressing in vintage...You can mix and match...It doesn't need to match by year....Pick a theme....and a color scheme........

Some things that can go together....another in a series of posts about what to wear when you are no longer twee, and not in the nursing home yet...search ..granny chic...or...old lady chic.and, sure, in my etsy shop now....clicky

a 70s cowgirl jacket ...with lots of chains and pearls.....in shades of mocha and creme...and pearl....wear it with a black or white tank top...for instant summer fun.....

with a 70s mocha linen pencil skirt....

and ivory pearly leather sandals....

With a cute basic suit...you can really mix it up!!a 60s suit of lovely caramel wool.....with chains and pearls....

Over an 80s white lace dress...

paired with 70s leather and suede boots....try these with a knee length skirt......that's really awesome....

under there.......a very vintage 50s corset girdle....

and a 50s bullet bra circle stitch strapless bra.....

a lovely sparkly 50s - 60s black sequin lbd....Take a great vintage basic.....perfect for any fancy occasion after 5 pm....

Be girly with .....romantic 80s black suede tie pumps....

Or go tough with an 80s cropped black leather jacket....

And.....oooo laaa laaa...80s stiletto heels studded black leather pumps....Now there is a combo you don't see coming and going.....Sequins, black leather and metal studs....all in Black!

Thursday, April 22, 2010

personally, I encourage you to wear whatev' you wanna.Some times you want to look a little more polished up.My last post about some Great Tips...is here.Remember, these are my opinions...based on staring at billions of you...and styling you in my mind. I'm asked all the time for advice...Really! I know I dress like a Dickens character...but most folks don't want to...and when I used to spend a lot of time in very conservative circles, I learned a lot about dressing well. I can do it. And so can you.OK then, let's go.

You need to figure out what body type you are. A Pear or an Apple (chunk of wood). I read that there are several types. It really only boils down to 2.

You either carry your weight at the bosoms/belly, or you carry it on your hips/butt.If both are large, without a defined waist, then you are a chunk of wood, with apple tendencies...(kind of a #3..but really an Apple.)Then ...either you're slim, or slim-ish, or you are wide, or wide-ish.

What's your best asset?Back in the day, when I was a short flat board, I didn't know. And then I figured it out...I'm curvy, like a pear.So, what the heck. I wore things that were lighter and brighter on the top, and darker on the bottom. All my fitted skirts and dresses had to have larger hips than what a garment manufacturer allowed...so I ended up (still) with more separates than dresses.This balances me out more, but never think that just switching up the colors and such is gonna really fool anyone into turning a 5 foot elf, into a 6 foot swan. Wanna look a little taller and slimmer? Put the bright color and pattern on top, above the hipline.

Be you. Be swell. Be comfortable.If you have a nice torso, only more so....fitted styles, fitted tops and full skirts, and easy fitting pants are probably your best friends. Show off that nice figure. Might as well, it isn't gonna last a lifetime.

***********************************************Or, are you Kinda the same size all the way down?You can wear all the unfitted oversized looks you want and look fabulous.

These looks can look real sloppy...the ol' Couch Potato look isn't attractive, so what to do?

The Best Casual Look Ever.This lady is doing the right thing. She is using a cardy and blouse, the right kind of pants, and she uses the skinny belt to be on trend. This combo is gonna work on all body types. I'd hem or hike that purple shirt up an inch, tho.Let's discuss why......

Rule #1.The basics:Good grooming...clean hair and skin, perk things up with a cute barrette or a scarf as a headband (not hippie style unless you are going to a hippie-theme party or attending TESC)

Clean clothes. No rips, tears or stains, unless it is a fashion statement. The older you are, the less of that you can get away with. Sorry. Otherwise, you look homeless. I'd save the "homeless" look for when I am actually homeless.(btw, here's where to donate to help those less fortunate than we: Homeless Coalition)

A great look for almost everybody type...and there is really only 2--Curvy,or Block of Wood....either you're slim, or slim-ish, or you are wide, or wide-ish.So,yes, the best look for almost everyone is......

the long top, with nice pants, Best Casual Look ever.Whether you are tall or medium or short, the same suggestions apply.Height variations are sprinkled in here and there.

Back to The Best Casual Look ever...Rule #2.Wear pants that are pegged only if you have no Big Hips, like leggings or those hipster things. If your top covers the hips/butt...then go for it, otherwise.....Wear pants that have straight legs.But No...Not ever....bad pants with Full thighs + skinny ankles. That look from the 80s was for teenagers and even they looked bad. Picture via TheFashionPolice.

Very tall chicks can wear bells. But bells, if not HUGE, can be worn by everyone.Scale is the key.The older you are, the darker the denim. Younger gals can wear almost anything in the pants department.The chubbier your bottom parts, the less tight you want, if the goal is to look nice.Wanna look like a sausage? Go ahead. But ...don't.

OK, So now you got your pants just right.

Now, over your carefully chosen pants, wear a Tunic.A Tunic. Simple.Sorry for the letdown. A tunic stops at about the hipline or goes on to the knee point.Why a tunic? Because it's easy to wear, no tucking in to chop you just above the belly, and covers all.

A tunic can be loose, flowing, structured or fitted like a long t shirt. If you are shorter, you can match the tops and bottoms in color. Taller, you can mix colors and patterns if you like.

Sling a loose belt around it at the waist or at the hip bones.You'll look fab!

This is a great look for almost anyone, really.Believe it or not, the key is The Ankles!If you are wide, beware the skinny ankle pant. It will make you look like you are balanced on teacups.Just choose pants that are wider down there.

Next, pay attention to your heel height. Sometimes a flat shoe is best, if the tunic is on the shorter side, or you are tall.A small heel, nothing over 2", looks fab.Nothing looks more ungraceful that a woman of any age tottering on heels over 3".Trust me.....mincing little wobbly steps are stupid.What, are you ancient Japanese women? No. Stop hobbling yourself in shoes that look like torture devices, and make you look as graceful as a drunk at 3 am on New Years Day.

Rule #3.The one trend I really am not liking all that much, and this pains me....I don't like the cinched in the middle belt thing. Only the very slim can make it work well.This observation pains me because I own a lot of really cute belts. I try to cinch it in at my waist....And I observe one of 2 things happening........

Boobs that seem to fall over the belt, no matter what...and accenting the big belly.Not attractive, not artful.A Reuters photo of Mrs. O.

I'm not liking this one at all....how much better...with a skinny belt, a longer and looser top.

Mrs. Obama is tall and thin (pearish) and she usually sticks to skinny belts. If you are gonna do it, try a skinny belt and let it fall gently towards the hips.Or just display your pretty belts.I do wear belts to actually hold up my jeans, or around the hip bones for a casual look.

Here is a fabulous woman who is doing it well, via Fabulous After 40 (nice blog, but a bit uptight)

One color/layering trick that really does work pretty well as the nice lady in the picture just above demonstrates, is to wear a darker cardigan/jacket/vest with the same color for pants, and choose the brighter/lighter colors and patterns for the blouse. This works because the eye sees a dark frame, with attention-getting color in the center top of the body. The eye looks upwards and dismisses the outline, and like magic, you look a little taller and a little slimmer.

The trick is to make the cardy/jacket/vest longer than the blouse, or else you've defeated the whole fool-the-eye thing. The thing to pay attention to is where the cardy/jacket/vest stops on your body, and please, don't wear anything that's too tight.Unless you just really love Sausage/Hooker as a fashion statement.

Maybe they notice a tiny messy garden on their mission to get from one place to another.I hope so.I hope it sticks in the back of their mind as they go about their day.Maybe it's a spark of a reason to be a bit more grateful, to straighten their back, to make a good choice and live well.

I've just put some nasturtium seeds in a can with water to soak overnight. And tomorrow I'll pull the weeds, and poke small holes and put the very plump seeds in my secret garden.In a month and a half from now, there will trailing pepper-tasting leaves and sweet orange and gold and yellow nasturtium flowers for the passersby.

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Sometimes a sweater is what I want and then there are times.......a trim little jacket is it...

Start with a basic navy jacket, a 70s wool blend...because the quality is fabulous, and the dominant style was cropped, nipped waist, and pockets !yes, these are both listed in my etsy shop.

A cropped style is great on almost all bodies....it doesn't hug the butt like a longer jacket might, or gap over the butt, or cut you off at an unflattering line.....a jacket will only be your new best friend if it fits right.....this style just skims the hip bones and has panache!

A pearly necklace, a few pearly necklaces would be fab too......a perfect basic to play with....the steampunk queen of romance is only one way to style this.....but it's my favorite.so I paired it with a white lace dress...which is so sweet(get out your wedding dress and wear it! kidding.) to start with...

Then I tucked a white millinery rose in the hanky pocket...along with some pink netting from an old hat ....and hung a pair of 50s vintage pink gloves from one pocket.

These brassy buttons have Crowns, and Elephants and Dinosaurs embossed on them....(look!)

Here it is in its plainness........so many things to do! A plaid skirt would look nifty with a white lace blouse...or a print skirt for a feminine look.Pair it with stripes for even more steampunk Victoriana ...

.........................................................................................................................And another look from a simple navy jacket....also a 70s one but this one has puffy sleeves. Beware! if you are over 40, it might be too juvenile...or not.

This style is more hunting jacket and the front has nifty pointy hems and I really love the tiny buttons.I tucked a knit lace doily in the hanky pocket here, and pinned a huge vintage red velvet chrysanthemum on a lower pocket.For a schoolmarm in the wild west I added an Indian blanket vest. (a rhyme!)This look would be smashing with a golden brown suede or velvet skirt or dark grey leggings and chunky boots....

It starts with a simple jacket....and the romance, the style, that gives it a fairytale aura is all in the details....A trim navy jacket is more polished and formal than a sweater...more "lunch in a fancy restaurant jacket", instead of "brunch on late Sunday with a hangover sweater".

Friday, April 2, 2010

White lace is so happen' for spring...it's not just for brides and babies anymore...

80s body con long white dress I was soooo tempted to keep...but I chose another 2 white lace dresses for myself for spring.....If Morticia bonked her head and decided to be The White Queen For A Day....she might choose this...

And then...she could top it with an 80s black moto jacket ...just to get back to form.....

Fantabulous !

But maybe she'd like to play Suburban Lady for A Day...she'd look Glamourous in these 50s mylar wedge mules and the matching handbag....Gold metallic and a Persian print.......so matchy matchy, but easy to wear with lots of other things...that matchy-matchy wouldn't be a problem for her......

Maybe she'd like to be a hip 70s chick and wear these bitchin' boots with her vintage Addams denim jeans........It could happen!

Vintage Pendleton Plaid Shirt

Just remember this, Mr. Potter, that this rabble you're talking about... they do most of the workin

*funkoma vintage*
We like it vintage, and we like it handmade.
*funkomavintage.com, etsy*
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handmades are called... thatyountvillegirl.
I love vintage stuff..if it has that certain je ne sais quoi...
& Handmade original designs...by Me

the funkomavintage credo

I choose items that are fun, well-made, with a great sense of confidence. I live the Vintage Life, and resolutely believe that re-using is important....and vintage is simply better made and meant to last. It's real value for your money.Authentically handmade by a real person is a joy! The ultimate luxury is an item handcrafted by a person who lives free.